1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an optical disk reproducing apparatus and a setup method for promptly performing a setup for reproducing an optical disk under proper reproducing conditions.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, as optical disks which can record a large amount of information, a CD (Compact Disk) and a DVD (Digital Video Disk or Digital Versatile Disk) have been known. The number of variations of each family of the CD and DVD increases. A CD-R and a DVD-R as write once optical disks and a CD-RW and a DVD-RW as rewritable optical disks are known.
In an optical disk reproducing apparatus which can reproduce only one kind of optical disk among those various kinds of optical disks, the usability cannot be improved. The development of an optical disk reproducing apparatus having what is called compatibility such that those various kinds of optical disks can be reproduced is, therefore, being progressed.
In the optical disk reproducing apparatus having the compatibility, the kind of optical disk loaded into the reproducing apparatus is discriminated, reproducing conditions suitable for reproducing the loaded optical disk are set up on the basis of a result of the discrimination, and thereafter, the actual information reproduction is performed.
That is, in the optical disks of different families such as CD and DVD, since there are differences in structure and optical characteristics such that materials of recording layers for recording information are different and the like, characteristics and the like of reading light which is emitted from a semiconductor laser have to be set up to proper reproducing conditions every optical disk of the different family and, thereafter, the actual information reproduction has to be performed.
Even in the optical disks of the same family, among the optical disks of the read only type, the write once type, and the rewritable type, characteristics and the like of the reading light which is emitted from the semiconductor laser have to be set up for the sake of proper reproducing conditions every optical disk since there are differences in structure and optical characteristics such that materials of recording layers for recording information are different and the like. Thereafter, the actual information reproduction has to be performed.
In the optical disk reproducing apparatus having the compatibility, it is necessary to prepare an individual setup program corresponding to each kind of optical disk in order to discriminate various kinds of optical disks and set up the proper reproducing conditions. A microprocessor (MPU) provided for the optical disk reproducing apparatus sequentially executes those plurality of setup programs in predetermined order, thereby discriminating the kind of loaded optical disk, so that the reproducing conditions suitable for the discriminated optical disk can be set up.
If the discrimination of the optical disk and the setup are executed by the above method, however, there is a case where after the execution of the setup program whose order has been determined to be the last, the kind of optical disk is determined for the first time. It takes a long time, consequently, until the completion of the setup. Awaiting time, therefore, that is necessary until the information reproduction is actually started becomes long and there is a problem such that the usability cannot be sufficiently improved or the like.
For example, if the order of executing the setup programs has been predetermined to the order such that the CD is set to the first order and the DVD is set to the next order, when the DVD is loaded, the execution of the setup program for the DVD is started after completion of the execution of the setup program for the CD. Further, the setup of the DVD is not completed until the completion of the execution of the setup program for the DVD, so that there is a problem such that a time that is required for setup becomes long.
In an optical disk reproducing apparatus having a changer mechanism equipped with a magazine which encloses a plurality of optical disks, when the user instructs a continuous reproduction or the like by designating a plurality of optical disks in the magazine, prior to exchanging the optical disk and starting the reproduction of the next optical disk, the setup of a long time similar to that mentioned above is executed each time. There is, consequently, a problem such that information such as music contents or the like recorded in each optical disk cannot be promptly reproduced.
The invention is made to solve the problems mentioned above and it is an object of the invention to provide an optical disk reproducing apparatus and a setup method which can reduce a time that is required for a setup.
To accomplish the above object, according to the invention, there are provided an optical disk reproducing apparatus and a setup method for performing a setup for reproducing a plurality of different kinds of optical disks by proper reproducing conditions, wherein after the setup is performed by the reproducing conditions corresponding to the first kind of optical disk, when the setup is subsequently performed by the reproducing conditions corresponding to the second kind of optical disk, the reproducing conditions which succeed to at least a part of the reproducing conditions corresponding to the first kind of optical disk are used.
When the setup is performed by the reproducing conditions corresponding to the first kind of optical disk, if the setup is not completed, the setup is sequentially executed by the reproducing conditions corresponding to the second kind of optical disk.
When the setup by the reproducing conditions corresponding to the first kind of optical disk or the setup by the reproducing conditions corresponding to the second kind of optical disk is completed, one or a plurality of conditions are stored as reproducing conditions only for the setup optical disk.
When the reproducing conditions corresponding to the optical disk to be set up have been stored, the setup is performed by using the stored reproducing conditions. When the reproducing conditions corresponding to the optical disk to be set up are not stored, the setup is performed by the reproducing conditions corresponding to the first kind of optical disk.
According to the invention, when the setup is performed by the reproducing conditions corresponding to the first kind of optical disk and the setup is subsequently executed by the reproducing conditions corresponding to the second kind of optical disk, the setup is performed by using the reproducing conditions which succeeds to at least a part of the reproducing conditions corresponding to the first kind of optical disk as reproducing conditions corresponding to the second kind of optical disk.
The time, therefore, that is required for the setup corresponding to the kind of optical disk is reduced.
After completion of the setup, the reproducing conditions corresponding to the optical disk used for the setup are stored, and when the same optical disk is set up again, the stored reproducing conditions are used. The time, therefore, that is required for the setup is reduced also by this method.